Breckinridge County, Kentucky

Breckinridge County, Kentucky
Breckinridge County, Kentucky courthouse in Hardinsburg, Kentucky
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1800
Named for	John Breckinridge (1760–1806), Kentucky statesman.
Seat	Hardinsburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	585.53 sq mi (1,517 km²) 572.41 sq mi (1,483 km²) 13.12 sq mi (34 km²), 2.24%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	20,059 17/sq mi (7/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.breckinridgecounty.net

Breckinridge County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was formed in 1799. The population was 20,059 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Hardinsburg, Kentucky.^[1] The county is named for John Breckinridge (1760–1806), a former Kentucky Attorney General, state legislator, United States Senator, and United States Attorney General. Breckinridge is a prohibition or dry county, although on March 30, 2010, a referendum passed whereby Hardinsburg will become "moist".

History

The county was formed out of Hardin County by a 1799 enactment of the Kentucky General Assembly, but the first Fiscal Court did not meet until 1800.

In 1816, when future United States President Abraham Lincoln was seven years old, his Thomas Lincoln and his family spent a few weeks in Hardinsburg and occupied a small cabin near what is now the Kentucky FFA Leadership Training Camp in Hardinsburg. Local residents gave them a cow for milk. The Lincolns left Kentucky through Breckinridge County, the Ohio River at Cloverport, on a ferry operated by Jacob Weatherholt.

During the American Civil War, Confederate cavalry burned the local courthouse, which was being used by Union troops as a barracks, but most of the records were saved. Sue Munday, a noted Confederate guerrilla, was captured near Irvington and later hanged after a questionable trial. The site of his execution is now indicated by an historic marker in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.

In the nineteenth century, the Victoria Coal mines were the first to produce coal oil, and Cloverport exported coal oil to Great Britain, where it was used to light Buckingham Palace.

United States Supreme Court Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge, who served on the court from 1943 to 1949, was born at Tar Springs in 1894.

On June 6, 1932, at Hardinsburg, Sam Jennings became the second last person to be publicly executed in the United States.

In the 1950s Rough River Dam State Resort Park was developed at the southern border of the county.

A third courthouse fire nearly destroyed county records in 1958.

Breckinridge County High School prides itself as the champion of the 1965 and 1995 Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Boys' Basketball tournaments.

The Breckinridge County Archives, formed in 1984, was the first state-funded archival repository in the history of the United States and is known across the nation as an excellent resource for genealogical and historical research.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 585.53 square miles (1,516.5 km²), of which 572.41 square miles (1,482.5 km²) (or 97.76%) is land and 13.12 square miles (34.0 km²) (or 2.24%) is water.^[2]

Adjacent counties

• Perry County, Indiana (northwest – across the Ohio River)
• Meade County (northeast)
• Hardin County (east)
• Grayson County (south)
• Ohio County (southwest)
• Hancock County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	3,430		—
1820	7,485		118.2%
1830	7,345		−1.9%
1840	8,944		21.8%
1850	10,593		18.4%
1860	13,236		25.0%
1870	13,440		1.5%
1880	17,486		30.1%
1890	21,034		20.3%
1900	20,534		−2.4%
1910	21,034		2.4%
1920	19,652		−6.6%
1930	17,368		−11.6%
1940	17,744		2.2%
1950	15,528		−12.5%
1960	14,734		−5.1%
1970	14,789		0.4%
1980	16,861		14.0%
1990	16,312		−3.3%
2000	18,648		14.3%
2010	20,059		7.6%
http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21027.txt

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 18,648 people, 7,324 households, and 5,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 per square mile (13 /km²). There were 9,890 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.84% White, 2.86% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,324 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,554, and the median income for a family was $36,575. Males had a median income of $31,004 versus $19,371 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,402. About 11.80% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Cloverport
• Hardinsburg
• Irvington
• McDaniels
• McQuady
• Webster
• Harned
• Custer
• Hites Run

Schools

Breckinridge County has two school districts:

• Breckinridge County Public Schools
• Cloverport Independent Schools

Notable natives

• Joseph Holt, presiding judge at the trial of the Lincoln conspirators, was born and raised in Holt, Kentucky. Holt served in five major federal posts, Judge Advocate General of the United States Army, Attorney General, Secretary of War, Commissioner of Patents, and Postmaster General.
• Union General John Alexander McClernand was born in this county in 1812.
• NBA player and coach Butch Beard was born in Hardinsburg in 1947.
• Former United States Supreme Court Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge was born at Tar Springs in 1894.
• G.W. Swink, businessman, active in National Irrigation Congress

Library

Breckinridge County Public Library is located at 112 South Main Street in Hardinsburg, Kentucky. The library is open Monday from 8:30-7:30, Tuesday through Friday from 8:30-4:30, and Saturday from 8:30-12:30 Central Standard Time.

See also

Kentucky portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Breckinridge County, Kentucky

Coordinates: 37°46′N 86°26′W / 37.77°N 86.43°W / 37.77; -86.43

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.